


The Seasons Change

by alecmagnuslwb



Series: The Immortal Inquisitor and High Warlock of Alicante [16]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Dads!Malec, Family Feels, Fluff, Lots of other characters mentioned - Freeform, M/M, Post-Canon, aunt izzy!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 13:56:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20083339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alecmagnuslwb/pseuds/alecmagnuslwb
Summary: Magnus and Alec show their daughter New York, show her the city where they fell in love.





	The Seasons Change

**Author's Note:**

> As mentioned in the last fic where Grandma Maryse got to meet her little granddaughter, back during flufftober I gave Malec a daughter (shameless self-promotion to read [Summer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16202819/chapters/38553173) and [Sand](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16202819/chapters/38391365) to meet her if you’d like) and here she is again at age four!

He holds the entire world in both of his hands. Alec’s fingers tangled with his right and his left being gripped by tiny tanned fingers with sunset shaded scales cascading along them.

She’s four now, their little Summer, time flying by in a way that Magnus has never experienced in his centuries of living. It seems like just yesterday he’d brought her home, a small voice in the back of his mind telling him she could be theirs growing louder when Alec finally said it out loud.

They’re walking along the street just down from the New York Institute. It’s odd, they haven’t been in New York in almost four years for more than a few short hours, not since they’d first decided to adopt her and brought her to meet Maryse before anyone else and then had a massive get together with their whole extended family. Their demanding jobs in Alicante mixed with raising a newborn had made it that if their family wanted to see them, they had to be the ones to make the trip.

And make the trip they have. Maryse and Luke drop by on a monthly basis and have taken to being grandparents in a way that doesn’t surprise Magnus in the slightest. Luke had always been a guiding parental figure and Maryse has changed so much over the years wanting to ensure she did it right from the start with her granddaughter in the ways she hadn’t with her children. When in need of a babysitter, she’s never turned them down, not even on her and Luke’s five-year wedding anniversary a few months prior.

Robert shockingly has taken to the role as well, shaping up to be a better grandfather than any other title he’s ever held.

Her plethora of aunts and uncles have fallen right back into their own old habits of never knocking and just walking in except now it’s not to ask them for outlandish favors but to spend time with their little girl. Simon’s teaching her to play any instrument he can get his hands on, Isabelle spoils her to no end, Clary teaches her to color outside of the lines and currently answers as best as she can her million and one questions about the baby Clary herself will be welcoming soon, Catarina dotes while Madzie acts like the unamused teenager she is but secretly falls to every whim their little girl has and Max reads to her constantly, giving her a thriving love of books already at such a young age.

Maia and Bat cook her anything her heart desires their ever-growing pack of little wolves have become Summer’s very best friends. Magnus and Alec are aware this may be somewhat influenced by the sheer number of cookies she gets when she gets to spend time with them.

Aline and Helen have enough children of their own to field a baseball team that Summer adores to spend time with and Raphael never misses the chance to send her as many cronuts as he can. And Jace, well Jace insists he’ll be teaching her to fight soon, Magnus does not miss the way Alec slaps him upside the head every time he suggests it.

She looks around as they walk occasionally pointing to something and asking Alec what it is. His husband is always quick with an answer when he can be. New York has never been her home, not like it once was theirs. Even her time spent with Maryse and Luke has often been scattered with all the travelling the pair still do and Maia and Bat often keep their little pack on the docks to play. So, with five days of absolutely nothing to do ahead of them they’d decided to show her the city, really show it to her. Idris has been her home, with its bustling city of portals, vast fields of green on the outer edges and Shadowhunters and more and more Downworlders each year on the streets. She’s not the first warlock child to call it home after a decade plus of change, but she’s the first child of theirs to call it that.

They’ve told her about New York though. Her inquisitive young mind now always ready with a plethora of questions about the world and about her father’s. They’ve told her good stories, about how her dad saved her somewhat distracted papa from being run over by a bicycle in Chinatown once, how her papa spent centuries here helping anyone in need and how Alec once ran the streets of the city with her aunt and uncle at his side.

“Papa?” she asks tugging them to a stop directly outside of the Institute.

“Yes, pumpkin,” he says looking down into his daughter’s bright hazel eyes that despite there being no blood relation look startingly like Alec’s.

“Is this where you and daddy met?” she says pointing to the building she’s never actually been to despite its once huge importance in their lives.

“No,” he replies letting go of Alec’s hand to lean down and lift her up into his arms. She’s starting to get too big for this and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t take every last opportunity he has to hold her like this. “We met at the loft. Remember how I told you I moved it to Alicante?”

They’ve edited the story slightly for now, not telling her that their first real encounter was technically the joint murder of a Circle member but telling her all about Magnus’ somewhat disastrous meat pun and Alec’s bright smile without context.

She nods her head in recollection as Alec reaches out brushing a hair that’s come loose from her braids behind her ear.

“We may not have met here, but something pretty important did happen right over there,” Alec says pointing to the bottom of the steps. He smiles at Magnus, still more love than he ever thought possible of being directed at him pouring out of his husband as he tilts his head gesturing for them to walk over.

He stops, maneuvering Magnus and their daughter a little to the side.

“Right about here,” he says looking down at the concrete for a moment and planting himself directly in front of them. “Is where I first told your papa I loved him.”

Magnus smiles warmly at his husband. It’s a memory that’s bright and crystal clear for him. He has no doubt that no matter how hard he tries one day some of their memories will fade and fuzzy. There will be countless centuries of moments for them that someday he knows unfortunately some will have to give. But this memory, this first on what started out as one of the worst nights of his life and morphed into one of the best will always stand out stark and clear not a detail to be missed.

“You mean you didn’t always love papa?” Summer asks inquisitively, shifting in Magnus’ arms to look at her dad.

“Of course I did,” Alec says not missing a beat. “I just hadn’t told him yet.”

She turns back to Magnus, “Did you love daddy too?”

“Always,” Magnus says immediately and truthfully as he bops her nose playfully, her face scrunching up in delight. In some bone deep way he wonders if he loved Alec centuries before he met him.

She seems satisfied by that, smiling widely at them both as they climb the steps. She urges for Magnus to put her down once they’ve opened the door and walked in, a thing that Magnus realizes he’s never just done without some preamble over the years. Once he required permission and access granted only by an Institute head, not counting his brief stint as a mundane in which he only ever walked in hand in hand with Alec, and then before and after that he’d always just portalled directly into Alec’s bedroom or his, now Isabelle’s, office. It’s a funny first he didn’t know he was missing. Over a decade of marriage and somehow Alec’s still giving him those, he’s certain the trend will never stop. 

Summer takes off as soon as her feet hit the ground. Despite never being inside the building she walks in like she owns the place. Which, considering her dad is the Inquisitor on some level she kind of does. Alec reaches out entwining his fingers with Magnus’ as they trail behind her. Passing Shadowhunters pay no mind to their little blur, but all hold their heads up high sending respectful nods and direct respect towards the Inquisitor and High Warlock of Alicante as they step through.

Shadowhunters can still be fairly rigid in Magnus’ opinion, you can’t fix everything in a dozen years, but year after year the rigid, borderline angel fearing respect the Nephilim all hold for Alec becomes equally as directed at Magnus and not just because of who he’s married to, but because of who he is. It’s one of those things he’s certain will take him centuries to get used to.

Summer makes a b-line for the ops center swiftly rolling past Underhill on her way.

“Hi, Andy!” she says brightly as she goes. Despite the fact she doesn’t know Underhill and Lorenzo all that well, their lives firmly still planted in New York, she’s always been fond of calling them names like Andy and Lo Lo that would annoy endlessly, but are begrudgingly accepted coming from such a tiny and adorable face. Just like he and Alec taught her to do, he’s a proud father.

“Hi, Summer!” he replies in the same tone with a fond laugh and shrug of acceptance at the nickname watching as she lifts herself up into a wheelie chair in front of one of the long desks.

He continues walking, nodding his head with a smile as he passes by them.

“Is that my favorite niece I hear?” a happy voice says from behind them as soon as they reach the chair their daughter is already delightedly spinning around in. Summer’s head perks up, Magnus reaching out his free hand to stop the spinning chair as she jumps down from it landing a little shaky from likely making herself dizzy. Alec reaches out to steady her, but she soldiers on unbothered running directly into Isabelle’s arms as she steps up onto the op’s platform.

Magnus and Alec turn watching with matching smiles as Isabelle hugs her long and hard lifting her up into her arms and walking towards them.

“I didn’t know you guys were in town?” she says reaching out a hand to squeeze Magnus’ arm affectionately as Summer begins twirling her aunt’s long dark hair around her fingers.

Isabelle looks essentially unchanged since the day she took over the Institute aside from the striking red highlights she’s added to her hair recently. It only further proves Magnus’ belief that even if his husband hadn’t chosen immortality the Lightwood genes that make Maryse still look barely a day over 35 would have granted his husband a youthful glow well into his sixties at the least.

The concept of immortality had been something Isabelle had toyed with the idea of, but after a long year of fights and discussions that for a brief time he and Alec were worried she and Simon wouldn’t come out on the other side of. Isabelle had ultimately decided that while her brother could choose forever, it wasn’t for her. It’d been tough, a lot of hard conversations for the couple, between siblings and some poignant ones Magnus himself had had with Simon. They’d worked it out though, the shining band on her left hand is proof of that.

“Surprise visit,” Magnus replies squeezing her hand that rests on his arm. “It’s been too long so we thought we’d take advantage of the long weekend to visit.”

Isabelle’s smile brightens even more.

“I’ve got a little more work to get done here tonight, but maybe we can rustle everyone together for a family dinner?” she says hopeful.

“Clary’s already made reservations, Luke and Mom are still in Belize but the rest of the extended clan and their partners will be in attendance. Helen and Aline send their regrets from Alicante Helen's using that time off you gave her for a weekend with grandma Jia, but Maia and Bat promise they’ll try and make it if they can wrangle all the kids together for a night out,” Alec says with a smile letting go of Magnus’ hand to instead drape his arm across Magnus’ shoulders. Magnus watches as Summer gets Izzy’s hair tangled around her finger, tugging a little roughly to loosen it at first then releasing a swirl of orange magic from her fingertips to undo it. It doesn’t faze Izzy in the slightest.

Isabelle raises an eyebrow at them, “Even Max’s partner?”

It’s no secret that for the better part of a year Max has been dating and spending nearly every second of his free time with a Shadowhunter from the Los Angeles Institute. They all only know their name, Ash, but the blush that forms on Max’s face every time someone mentions finally being introduced to his mystery partner is proof enough of how serious it’s getting.

“Yup, evidently Max has decided it’s time to unleash us all upon them,” Magnus says with a laugh that Izzy returns. They talk idly for a few more minutes, Summer becoming more and more distracted as she twists Izzy’s hair into what Magnus assumes is supposed to be a braid. Eventually Underhill returns smiling apologetically as he pulls her away. Magnus takes Summer from her as Alec pulls them along by his hand to show her the rest of the Institute.

She looks around wide eyed at the high stained glassed windows, listens intently as Alec takes her from Magnus’ arms and walks her up onto the dais where they married and only once presses a button she’s not supposed to. Eventually they’ve shown her every corner, telling her all the appropriate stories they can. Magnus smirks at his husband as they pass by his old bedroom that’s now occupied by angel knows who and Alec rolls his eyes, a move that’s betrayed by the blush rising on his cheeks.

They show her around New York some more, tours of spaces they know and love, promising to go eat at aunt Maia’s restaurant for lunch the next day when she inquires. It’s late in the afternoon when her eyes start to droop and she reaches her arms up to Alec, a silent demand that she be carried the rest of the way.

They head back to the hotel, a few more hours until they have to be at the restaurant for dinner, and lay her down for a nap despite knowing it’s going to throw her entire sleep schedule off for the whole weekend. They head out onto the balcony once she’s fast asleep, Alec sliding the doors closed quietly as to not disturb her.

He joins Magnus at his back where he looks out at the city, arms wrapping around his waist, chin resting on his shoulder. Their brief trips to New York since moving to Alicante have always been just that, brief. He hasn’t really been granted the opportunity to look out over the city in a long time. It’s the same in a lot of ways, but it’s also different. Their hotel isn’t far from where the loft once used to be, most of the shops in the area are new, the faces changed and the lights from the Brooklyn bridge now beam in shades of a rainbow. It’s not home anymore, not really, but it still feels like it in so many ways. It’s the city he spent over a century in, where he healed from the damage Camille left behind, where he held his first official leadership position and most importantly the city where he met Alec and set the path towards his family growing larger than he ever expected.

No matter how much time passes, New York will always hold a special place in his heart it’s why showing it all to Summer felt so important, why it will feel important to show the children they’ll have in the future this place as well. It’ll be a city he’ll always come back to, they’ll always come back to.

“She likes it here,” Alec says after a little while.

Magnus hums in agreement, “Maybe one day she’ll call it home too.”

Alec smiles his chin moving on Magnus’ shoulder in what he presumes is a nod. For now, Alicante is home, there’s no near future where they end up back in New York full time unless something goes horribly wrong. But the future is wide and bright for them all, and with the boundless energy and an unbeatable light inside their little girl there’s no doubt she may call this city home one day.

She wakes up not long after that, freshly energized from her power nap, using her magic to slide open the door and join them on the balcony. She barrels into their legs tugging on Magnus’ pants leg requesting he lift her up to see over the balcony. She points and asks another million questions; they answer the ones they can and laugh when she grumbles about them not having detailed enough answers for her.

“I’ll ask uncle Max,” she says confidently because in her mind he’s the smartest person in the world and owns every book ever written.

Eventually the sun sets and she runs out of questions, instead her gaze becomes fixed on the lights of the Brooklyn Bridge. Magnus wraps his free arm around Alec’s waist as they quietly watch her look of wondrous awe and once again he holds the whole world in both his hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Did I subtly imply Max is queer and dating someone who uses they/them pronouns? You bet I did. 
> 
> tumblr: [alecmagnuslwb](https://alecmagnuslwb.tumblr.com/)


End file.
